The patchwork of formulas for figuring graduation rates across the country makes the data meaningless. In Utah, only those students who begin 10th grade but later drop out are not counted among graduates. The proposal to include ninth-graders in the base number makes more sense, since too many students never make it to the 10th grade.

But other proposed changes are less positive. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings wants more reporting of national test scores; reporting of graduation rates broken down by ethnicity, ability and income of graduates; restructuring of schools that don't make adequate yearly progress; and better access to tutors.

There is not enough money at small rural schools to meet the reporting, busing and restructuring requirements outlined in NCLB now, never mind increasing them.

The changes follow the established pattern of NCLB - ignoring schools' particular challenges and needs in favor of one-size-fits-all solutions. Spellings takes a punitive approach to improving education that does not take into account small rural schools and their lack of resources.

Instead of helping struggling schools, she seems to want to encourage parents to abandon those schools in favor of private or charter schools.

Currently, if a school fails to meet federal testing standards for two years, it must offer to bus students to other schools. The school must offer outside tutoring to students if it fails to meet testing standards for three years.

Rural schools are often in communities that don't have enough qualified tutors and very few if any private or charter schools. The federal money for tutoring and helping families choose other schools could, in those cases, be better spent on improving teaching within the school. But under the proposed changes that money would have to be sent back to Washington if it's not spent on tutoring and school choice.

The weaknesses of NCLB have always been its Draconian approach and lack of funding. These changes are more of the same.